Fit to be tried: Modified Strongman Training
IT'S mid-morning in a dark underground car park, and a man built like a human boulder with a head is forcing me to plough.
Up and down we march, me sweating as I push, bent over as instructed, with arms locked straight and back flat to prevent injury.
But it gets worse.
The plough has four prongs, and on a tough day a person sits on each end so you have to push them along too -- and no, you don't get a tip for your efforts.
When you aren't ploughing on this torturous piece of equipment, proudly designed by the human boulder himself, trainer Eoin Lacey (right), you might be pulling a sled, flicking a heavy rope in waves along the ground, or hauling kegs. And that's just for the girls.
Welcome to modified strongman training, the new functional-strength fitness craze just moderate enough for women and just macho enough for the fellas, with its devotees split an even 50/50 along the gender divide.
"Women love it for fat loss and toning and they have a higher tolerance for the lactic acid that builds up during exercise, so they often kick the guys' arses," says Eoin.
The popular trainer rarely takes on private clients because he's in heavy demand from professional athletes, football teams and lecture duties in his capacity as co-director of the Irish Strength Institute.
But he will take on the occasional new victim, including myself, and I've been a fan since he first half-killed me with a gym-floor routine a couple of years ago.
Eoin's always happy to answer questions and gives regular free lectures at the institute, based in Artane, on Dublin's northside.
Modified strongman training is Eoin's speciality, and he dreamed up the bright-red four-pronged plough for the weekly group training sessions held at the institute.
The machine is all Eoin -- you don't even get a rest while you swivel it around for a new lap, because its square design means you just run to change sides.
It heads a formidable line-up of strength exercises, including pulling a weight-laden sled, lifting a steel log above your head, and hoisting sandbags.
For this, we pay. A generation ago we might have been doing stuff like it on a farm or building site as work, and getting wages. But that's modern fitness for you.
"We do the training for groups of up to 30, and people stay really motivated," says Eoin. "It's great for fitness and fat-burning, because it pushes your metabolic rate up for at least 72 hours."
Because of the workout's structure, it's designed for a range of different fitness levels and styles, to suit all comers.
"We have equal numbers of men and women, and most of the women are over 34," says Eoin.
As well as improving fitness, the strength training is good for toning, corrective exercising and boosting "athletic transfer" by enabling you to make use of its benefits in your chosen sport.
Taking part in a group session is a good test of strength and humility, and the antithesis of repetitive gym routines.
The camaraderie almost makes up for the scream of your hamstrings as you shove the plough up and down again, this time with your hands and arms on the lower handles of the machine so you are a horizontal line of effort.
Then it's skipping, tyre-flipping, tug-of-war and "farmer walks" -- a sort of chimpanzee amble with a weight bar at the end of each arm.
"The exercises are constantly changing, so it's a great challenge that gets you healthy, lean and strong," says Eoin.
Anyone is welcome to come along and watch one 45-minute modified strongman training session. But be warned: you're only allowed to watch once -- after that you have to join in.
The Verdict
Did it work? Yes, if you like being pushed beyond your comfort zone
Pluses: Group sessions mean you have comrades to share your torture
Minuses: Pushes you to the limit – and beyond
Cost: €10 for group sessions on Saturday and Sunday, €65 for one-to-one services
Contact: Irish Strength Institute for free talks on training and nutrition. Tel: 01 4443535, or see isipersonaltraining.com. The institute also runs residential bootcamps
- Amanda Phelan
Irish Independent
